Every solar and lunar eclipse from 1800 to 2100, with the real shadows.
How to use the eclipse simulator
The simulator opens on the next total solar eclipse, paused at its greatest moment, with the camera framed on the Moon's shadow. The card names the eclipse and its date and says what to look for. Press Next eclipse or Previous eclipse to step through every solar and lunar eclipse from 1800 to 2100, in order. They count from the date on the clock, so you can set any date first and step from there.
| To do this | Do this |
|---|---|
| Watch the shadow move | Press the amber play button; Space on a keyboard |
| Look from another side | Drag the view, or use the arrow keys |
| Zoom in on the shadow | Scroll or pinch; + and − on a keyboard |
| Jump to an equinox, opposition or another event | Events |
| Save the view as a PNG | More → Save picture |
| Send someone this exact moment and view | Share |
A solar eclipse opens looking at Earth from the Sun's side, so you see the Moon's shadow on the daytime half of the planet. A lunar eclipse opens looking at the Moon from Earth, with the Moon inside Earth's shadow. Play runs time at the speed shown, and the shadow moves with it.
Eclipses from now to 2030
Every eclipse from October 2026 to the end of 2030, from the simulator's own search. Dates are in UTC, and the regions are those listed in NASA's eclipse catalog. A lunar eclipse can be seen from wherever the Moon is up at the time.
| Date (UTC) | Eclipse | Where it can be seen |
|---|---|---|
| February 6, 2027 | Annular solar | South America, Antarctica, western and southern Africa; annular in Chile, Argentina and over the Atlantic |
| February 20, 2027 | Penumbral lunar | The Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia |
| July 18, 2027 | Penumbral lunar | Eastern Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific |
| August 2, 2027 | Total solar | Africa, Europe, the Middle East, western and southern Asia; total in Morocco, Spain, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia |
| August 17, 2027 | Penumbral lunar | The Pacific, the Americas |
| January 12, 2028 | Partial lunar | The Americas, Europe, Africa |
| January 26, 2028 | Annular solar | Eastern North America, Central and South America, western Europe, northwestern Africa; annular in Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Suriname, Spain and Portugal |
| July 6, 2028 | Partial lunar | Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia |
| July 22, 2028 | Total solar | Southeast Asia, the East Indies, Australia, New Zealand; total in Australia and New Zealand |
| December 31, 2028 | Total lunar | Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific |
| January 14, 2029 | Partial solar | North and Central America |
| June 12, 2029 | Partial solar | The Arctic, Scandinavia, Alaska, northern Asia, northern Canada |
| June 26, 2029 | Total lunar | The Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East |
| July 11, 2029 | Partial solar | Southern Chile and southern Argentina |
| December 5, 2029 | Partial solar | Southern Argentina, southern Chile, Antarctica |
| December 20, 2029 | Total lunar | The Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia |
| June 1, 2030 | Annular solar | Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Arctic, Alaska; annular in Algeria, Tunisia, Greece, Turkey, Russia, northern China and Japan |
| June 15, 2030 | Partial lunar | Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia |
| November 25, 2030 | Total solar | Southern Africa, the southern Indian Ocean, the East Indies, Australia, Antarctica; total in Botswana, South Africa and Australia |
| December 9, 2030 | Penumbral lunar | The Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia |
For where the Moon's shadow touches the ground town by town, with local times and how much of the Sun is covered, see the 2027 eclipse path map and eclipse dates and visibility by town.
How eclipses work
A solar eclipse happens at new moon, when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth and its shadow falls on Earth. A lunar eclipse happens at full moon, when the Moon passes through Earth's shadow. Both bodies cast two shadows: the dark central umbra, where the Sun is completely hidden, and the wider penumbra, where only part of the Sun is covered.
The simulator works the shadows out the same way. For every point on Earth and the Moon it calculates how much of the Sun's disc the other bodies hide, so the umbra comes out small and dark and the penumbra wide and soft without either being drawn by hand.
Eclipses don't happen every month because the Moon's orbit is tilted about 5° to the plane of Earth's orbit. The two orbits cross at two points called nodes, and an eclipse needs a new or full moon close to one of them. The Sun lines up with the nodes twice a year, in eclipse seasons about 173 days apart, and each season brings at least one solar eclipse, usually with a lunar eclipse two weeks before or after. You can see the pattern in the table: February and July–August 2027, then January and July 2028.
Total, annular, hybrid and partial
The Moon's orbit is an ellipse, so its distance from Earth changes through the month, and with it the Moon's apparent size.
- Total: the Moon is near its closest and looks a little larger than the Sun. Inside the narrow path of the umbra the Sun's bright face is completely covered for a few minutes, and the faint outer atmosphere of the Sun appears.
- Annular: the Moon is near its farthest and looks smaller than the Sun, so a ring of sunlight stays around it along the path.
- Hybrid: the Moon's apparent size is so close to the Sun's that the eclipse is total along part of its path and annular elsewhere.
- Partial: only the penumbra reaches Earth, usually near one of the poles, so nowhere sees the Sun completely covered. Every total or annular eclipse is also partial across a much wider area on either side of its path.
Lunar eclipses have three kinds too. In a total lunar eclipse the whole Moon is inside the umbra; sunlight bent through Earth's atmosphere still reaches it, and because the air scatters blue light away, it glows copper-red. A partial eclipse dips only part of the Moon into the umbra. A penumbral eclipse passes only through the penumbra, which dims the Moon so slightly that most people never notice it. Step to a total lunar eclipse in the simulator to see the red Moon.
Eclipses repeat: the Saros cycle
After 18 years, 11 days and about 8 hours (6,585.3 days, one saros), the Sun, the Moon and the nodes return to almost the same arrangement, so a very similar eclipse happens again. The extra 8 hours turn Earth a third of a rotation, so each repeat falls about 120° of longitude farther west. The total solar eclipse of August 2, 2027 belongs to Saros 136, the same family as the total eclipse of July 22, 2009, one saros earlier. Set the clock to July 2009 and press Next eclipse to compare the two shadows.
Watching a real eclipse safely
Never look at the Sun during a partial or annular eclipse without eye protection: use eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer that meets the ISO 12312-2 standard, and never use them behind a telescope, binoculars or a camera, which need their own front-mounted solar filters. During a total solar eclipse it is safe to look without protection only while the Sun is completely covered; put the glasses back on as soon as any part of it returns. A pinhole projector, with the Sun behind you, is a safe way to watch without glasses. Lunar eclipses are safe to watch with the naked eye.
Accuracy
The simulator finds eclipses with Astronomy Engine, the open-source library that also places the planets and the Moon in the simulator's 3D view. Every date and type in the table above matches NASA's eclipse catalog. The positions in the view are tested against NASA JPL's Horizons system; see accuracy and sources for the limits.
Sources
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, F. Espenak: Solar Eclipses: 2021–2030 and Lunar Eclipses: 2021–2030, read October 11, 2026: dates, types, Saros numbers and regions of visibility.
- NASA Science, Eclipse safety, read October 11, 2026.
- D. Cross, Astronomy Engine: the eclipse searches behind the simulator's list.
Questions
When is the next total solar eclipse?
August 2, 2027. Totality crosses Morocco, Spain, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Somalia, with greatest eclipse near Luxor in Egypt. The one after that is July 22, 2028, over Australia and New Zealand.
Why isn't there an eclipse every month?
The Moon's orbit is tilted about 5° to Earth's, so at most new and full moons the Moon passes above or below the line to the Sun. Eclipses happen only when a new or full moon falls near one of the two points where the orbits cross, which happens in two eclipse seasons a year, about 173 days apart.
What is the difference between a total and an annular solar eclipse?
The Moon's distance from Earth changes during its orbit. Near its closest it looks slightly larger than the Sun and can cover it completely: a total eclipse. Near its farthest it looks smaller, so a ring of sunlight stays around it: an annular eclipse.
How accurate are the eclipses in the simulator?
Eclipses are found with Astronomy Engine, the library behind the simulator's Events list, and every date and type in the table on this page matches NASA's eclipse catalog. The shadows are calculated for each point from the sizes and positions of the Sun, Earth and Moon, not painted on.